Most Coveted Job Skills For 2018 Are STEM Skills

In my previous post, I wrote about how some of the highest paying jobs were in the STEM fields. In this post, I'd like to highlight how the STEM skill sets are not only used in what we think of as traditional STEM jobs but also steeping into all areas of the professional world, due to the digitalization of our landscape.In my own experience, as well as according to research done at Monster.com and USA Today, tech skills will continue to revolutionize all industries and continue to be in high demand. These skill sets will make you more competitive and give you an advantage in practically all careers. Here, I'd like to show you some of the most coveted skills that will catapult your career forward.

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1. Social Media Proficiency

According to reports released in September of 2017, Instagram had 800 million active users, and this number is projected to increase. It may come as a surprise to some, but in today's world Instagram is not just a photo-sharing app for leisure, rather it drives big business. Many online brands and companies have started to leverage this platform for sales and marketing. Partnership with influencer accounts, ranging from thousands to millions of followers, drive tremendous traffic for personal brand exposure, sales, and marketing. Other well known social media platforms like Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook are also vying for spheres of influence in the online space, as well as areas of politics. We have seen how Twitter has played a key role in the U.S. political arena this year. Thus, being able to leverage these platforms for purposes of sales, marketing and PR is a key skill set for 2018. There are various analytic tools that can be used to analyze accounts on Instagram, Twitter and other up and coming platforms as well figure out which influencer account is best for partnership. Understanding how to strategically use keywords and hashtags to leverage brand recognition is increasingly important as well as finding the right niche in the space.

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2. Data Analysis

The world we live in today is increasingly data-driven, think about the way you make purchases or hail a cab -- it can all be done through a smartphone. Interacting with different apps or websites each person leaves a unique digital print. This digital print is becoming increasingly important in all professional fields because more and more decisions are based on data. For example, when companies try to understand how to better their sales or expand in different product spheres, they use digital data available that allows them to understand consumer behavior. They analyze this data looking for various trends and points of interest to make an appropriate decision. Another example is in the financial world, where many algorithms are tested for trading stocks or predicting the behavior of the markets. Thus, from small-scale projects within a company to large-scale implementations to model various behavior ranging from consumer preferences to predicting market moves, data analysis is a skill set that is in demand and will continue to be so in 2018 and beyond.

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3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Knowledge and Experience

Artificial intelligence is slowly but surely transforming many industries, ranging from shopping to banking. For example, when you are at a bank ATM making a deposit, the algorithm that makes that possible is built on AI. When you shop online and products are 'suggested' for you -- that is also an example of AI at work. Taobao, a part of Chinese behemoth Alibaba, allows shoppers to upload a photo of an item they are looking for and then shows them the same or similar item for sale - this is also an example of AI at work. AI is also used in the health tech sector, from medical imagining to medical record analysis. So, in the future, more and more experts trained in AI will be needed to implement sophisticated algorithms for the future and in many industries.

I am an advisor, consultant and an award winning scientist, lecturer and scholar. As the first woman to be awarded the Global STEM Leadership Prize for my work in Global Education, I use my talent to help more women gain access to the fields that drive innovation. I am passi...